arXiv subjects

A. Hillier

Publications and source records attributed to A. Hillier.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Mixing-induced thermal instabilities and coronal condensations

Cool, dense material is frequently observed to permeate the hot, tenuous solar corona in the form of prominences, spicules and coronal rain. Both the cool material and surrounding corona exist at temperatures that are effectively thermally stable, in that their local radiative losses occur on relatively long timescales compared to the dynamics. However, as the solar atmosphere evolves, driving mixing between the condensations and surrounding hot material, intermediate temperatures form, which can become subject to highly efficient radiative losses. The thermal energy lost due to radiation can far exceed the turbulent heating thus the system undergoes mixing-induced cooling. Here, a 3D radiative MHD simulation is performed of the shear-driven Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability (KHI) occurring between a cool condensation and the hot solar corona. During the evolution, thermal instabilities form naturally within the mixing layer, and grow with time to produce long, narrow structures that extend perpendicular to the magnetic field. The thermal instabilities form self-consistently within the mixing layer as small isolated events, and are then stretched by the background flows to create long structures in relatively narrow planes. The turbulent flows agitate the condensations and cause them to fragment, creating smaller localised clumps of cool, dense (prominence-like) material that can merge and further fragment. In the presented simulation, the thermal instabilities act to replenish the cool, dense material lost due to mixing, with the total mass of cool material being approximately constant through time. By analysing the thermal energy loss due to optically-thin radiation, thermal instabilities are found to account for 15-20\% of all radiative losses in the turbulent plasma.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2025

Measurement of production branching ratio after muon nuclear capture reaction of Al and Si isotopes

Background: Muon nuclear capture is a reaction between a muon and a proton inside a nucleus through weak interactions. This reaction results in the formation of an excited nucleus, which subsequently de-excites by emitting several particles. Examination of the excited state allows for an investigation of the properties of nuclear excitation and particle emission in highly excited nuclei. Purpose: This study investigates muon nuclear capture of 27Al and 28,29,30Si, focusing on determining the absolute production branching ratio (BR) following muon nuclear capture and subsequent particle emissions. By measuring the absolute production BR, we can collect valuable information on the excitation energy distribution of muon nuclear capture. Methods: Measurements were conducted using the in-beam activation method at two pulsed muon facilities: RIKEN-RAL beamline and MLF at J-PARC. Absolute BRs were determined by measuring the number of muons irradiating the target using a plastic scintillator and the beta-delayed gamma-rays emitted from the produced nuclei using germanium detectors. Results: The absolute production branching ratios of muon nuclear capture on 27Al and 28,29,30Si were obtained with the highest accuracy to date. Predominant neutron emissions, even-odd atomic number dependence of particle emission probabilities, and influence of the neutron excess were observed. These results were compared with previous measurements and theoretical models and discussed regarding the excitation energy distribution, particle emission mechanism, and nuclear properties, such as resonance in the isovector transition. Conclusion: This study emphasizes the importance of considering nuclear structure effects, even-odd effects of proton and neutron numbers, neutron excess, nucleon pairing effect, and particle emission mechanisms, in the context of the muon nuclear capture reaction.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2024

Unveiling the True Nature of Plasma Dynamics from the Reference Frame of a Super-penumbral Fibril

The magnetic geometry of the solar atmosphere, combined with projection effects, makes it difficult to accurately map the propagation of ubiquitous waves in fibrillar structures. These waves are of interest due to their ability to carry energy into the chromosphere and deposit it through damping and dissipation mechanisms. To this end, the Interferometric Bidimensional Spectrometer (IBIS) at the Dunn Solar Telescope was employed to capture high resolution H$α$ spectral scans of a sunspot, with the transverse oscillations of a prominent super-penumbral fibril examined in depth. The oscillations are re-projected from the helioprojective-cartesian frame to a new frame of reference oriented along the average fibril axis through non-linear force-free field extrapolations. The fibril was found to be carrying an elliptically polarised, propagating kink oscillation with a period of $430$ s and a phase velocity of $69\pm4$ km s$^{-1}$. The oscillation is damped as it propagates away from the sunspot with a damping length of approximately $9.2$ Mm, resulting in the energy flux decreasing at a rate on the order of $460$ W m$^{-2}$/Mm. The H$α$ line width is examined and found to increase with distance from the sunspot; a potential sign of a temperature increase. Different linear and non-linear mechanisms are investigated for the damping of the wave energy flux, but a first-order approximation of their combined effects is insufficient to recreate the observed damping length by a factor of at least $3$. It is anticipated that the re-projection methodology demonstrated in this study will aid with future studies of transverse waves within fibrillar structures.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2024

Measurement of the production branching ratios following nuclear muon capture for palladium isotopes using the in-beam activation method

Background: The energy distribution of excited states populated by the nuclear muon capture reaction can facilitate an understanding of the reaction mechanism; however, experimental data are fairly sparse. Purpose: We developed a new methodology, called the in-beam activation method, to measure the production probability of residual nuclei by muon capture. For the first application of the new method, we have measured muon-induced activation of five isotopically-enriched palladium targets. Methods: The experiment was conducted at the RIKEN-RAL muon facility of the Rutherford Appleton Facility in the UK. The pulsed muon beam impinged on the palladium targets and gamma rays from the beta and isomeric decays from the reaction residues were measured using high-purity germanium detectors in both the in-beam and offline setups. Results: The production branching ratios of the residual nuclei of muon capture for five palladium isotopes with mass numbers A = 104, 105, 106, 108, and 110 were obtained. The results were compared with a model calculation using the particle and heavy ion transport system (PHITS) code. The model calculation well reproduces the experimental data. Conclusion: For the first time, this study provides experimental data on the distribution of production branching ratios without any theoretical estimation or assumptions in the interpretation of the data analysis

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2023

Partially-ionised two-fluid shocks with collisional and radiative ionisation and recombination -- multi-level hydrogen model

Explosive phenomena are known to trigger a wealth of shocks in warm plasma environments, including the solar chromosphere and molecular clouds where the medium consists of both ionised and neutral species. Partial ionisation is critical in determining the behaviour of shocks, since the ions and neutrals locally decouple, allowing for substructure to exist within the shock. Accurately modelling partially ionised shocks requires careful treatment of the ionised and neutral species, and their interactions. Here we study a partially-ionised switch-off slow-mode shock using a multi-level hydrogen model with both collisional and radiative ionisation and recombination rates that are implemented into the two-fluid (P\underline{I}P) code, and study physical parameters that are typical of the solar chromosphere. The multi-level hydrogen model differs significantly from MHD solutions due to the macroscopic thermal energy loss during collisional ionisation. In particular, the plasma temperature both post-shock and within the finite-width is significantly cooler that the post-shock MHD temperature. Furthermore, in the mid to lower chromosphere, shocks feature far greater compression then their single-fluid MHD analogues. The decreased temperature and increased compression reveal the importance of non-equilibrium ionised in the thermal evolution of shocks in partially ionised media. Since partially ionised shocks are not accurately described by the Rankine-Hugoniot shock jump conditions, it may be incorrect to use these to infer properties of lower atmospheric shocks.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2021

Shock identification and classification in 2D MHD compressible turbulence -- Orszag-Tang vortex

Compressible magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence is a common feature of astrophysical systems such as the solar atmosphere and interstellar medium. Such systems are rife with shock waves that can redistribute and dissipate energy. For an MHD system, three broad categories of shocks exist (slow, fast or intermediate) however the occurrence rates of each shock type is not known for turbulent systems. Here we present a method for detecting and classifying the full range of MHD shocks applied to the Orszag-Tang vortex. Our results show that the system is dominated by fast and slow shocks, with far less frequent intermediate shocks appearing most readily near magnetic reconnection sites. We present a potential mechanism that could lead to the formation of intermediate shocks in MHD systems, and study the coherency and abundances of shocks in compressible MHD turbulence.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2020

Collisional ionisation, recombination and ionisation potential in two-fluid slow-mode shocks: analytical and numerical results

Shocks are a universal feature of the lower solar atmosphere which consists of both ionised and neutral species. Including partial ionisation leads to a finite-width existing for shocks, where the ionised and neutral species decouple and recouple. As such, drift velocities exist within the shock that lead to frictional heating between the two species, in addition to the adiabatic temperature changes across the shock. The local temperature enhancements within the shock alter the recombination and ionisation rates and hence change the composition of the plasma. We study the role of collisional ionisation and recombination in slow-mode partially-ionised shocks. In particular we incorporate the ionisation potential energy loss and analyse the consequences of having a non-conservative energy equation. A semi-analytical approach is used to determine the possible equilibrium shock jumps for a two-fluid model with ionisation, recombination, ionisation potential and arbitrary heating. Two-fluid numerical simulations are performed using the (P\underline{I}P) code. Results are compared to the MHD model and semi-analytic solution. Accounting for ionisation, recombination and ionisation potential significantly alters the behaviour of shocks in both substructure and post-shock regions. In particular, for a given temperature, equilibrium can only exist for specific densities due to the radiative losses needing to be balanced by the heating function. A consequence of the ionisation potential is that a compressional shock will lead to a reduction of temperature in the post-shock region, rather than the increase seen for MHD. The numerical simulations pair well with the derived analytic model for shock velocities.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2017

Onset of 2D magnetic reconnection in the solar photosphere, chromosphere and corona

We investigate the onset of 2D time-dependent magnetic reconnection that is triggered using an external velocity driver located away from, and perpendicular to, an equilibrium Harris current sheet. Previous studies have typically utilised an internal trigger to initiate reconnection, e.g. initial conditions centred on the current sheet. Numerical simulations solving the compressible, resistive magnetohydrodynamics equations were performed to investigate the reconnection onset within different atmospheric layers of the Sun, namely the corona, chromosphere and photosphere. A reconnecting state is reached for all atmospheric heights considered, with the dominant physics being highly dependent on atmospheric conditions. The coronal case achieves a sharp rise in electric field for a range of velocity drivers. For the chromosphere, we find a larger velocity amplitude is required to trigger reconnection. For the photospheric environment, the electric field is highly dependent on the inflow speed; a sharp increase in electric field is obtained only as the velocity entering the reconnection region approaches the Alfven speed. Additionally, the role of ambipolar diffusion is investigated for the chromospheric case and we find that the ambipolar diffusion alters the structure of the current density in the inflow region. The rate at which flux enters the reconnection region is controlled by the inflow velocity. This determines all aspects of the reconnection start-up process, i.e. the early onset of reconnection is dominated by the advection term in Ohms law in all atmospheric layers. A lower plasma-$β$ enhances reconnection and creates a large change in the electric field. A high plasma-$β$ hinders the reconnection, yielding a sharp rise in the electric field only when the velocity flowing into the reconnection region approaches the local Alfven speed.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2014

Spin dynamics and disorder effects in the S=1/2 kagome Heisenberg spin liquid phase of kapellasite

We report $^{35}$Cl NMR, ESR, $μ$SR and specific heat measurements on the $S=1/2$ frustrated kagomé magnet kapellasite, $α-$Cu$_3$Zn(OH)$_6$Cl$_2$, where a gapless spin liquid phase is stabilized by a set of competing exchange interactions. Our measurements confirm the ferromagnetic character of the nearest-neighbour exchange interaction $J_1$ and give an energy scale for the competing interactions $|J| \sim 10$ K. The study of the temperature-dependent ESR lineshift reveals a moderate symmetric exchange anisotropy term $D$, with $|D/J|\sim 3$%. These findings validate a posteriori the use of the $J_1 - J_2 - J_d$ Heisenberg model to describe the magnetic properties of kapellasite [Bernu et al., Phys. Rev. B 87, 155107 (2013)]. We further confirm that the main deviation from this model is the severe random depletion of the magnetic kagomé lattice by 27%, due to Cu/Zn site mixing, and specifically address the effect of this disorder by $^{35}$Cl NMR, performed on an oriented polycrystalline sample. Surprisingly, while being very sensitive to local structural deformations, our NMR measurements demonstrate that the system remains homogeneous with a unique spin susceptibility at high temperature, despite a variety of magnetic environments. Unconventional spin dynamics is further revealed by NMR and $μ$SR in the low-$T$, correlated, spin liquid regime, where a broad distribution of spin-lattice relaxation times is observed. We ascribe this to the presence of local low-energy modes.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2014

Spin Liquid Ground State in the Frustrated Kagome Antiferromagnet MgCu3(OH)6Cl2

We report muSR experiments on Mg{x}Cu{4-x}(OH)6Cl2 with x \sim 1, a new material isostructural to Herbertsmithite exhibiting regular kagome planes of spin 1/2 (Cu^{2+}), and therefore a candidate for a spin liquid ground state. We evidence the absence of any magnetic ordering down to 20 mK (\sim J/10^4). We investigate in detail the spin dynamics on well characterized samples in zero and applied longitudinal fields and propose a low T defect based interpretation to explain the unconventional dynamics observed in the quantum spin liquid phase.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2014

The generation and damping of propagating MHD kink waves in the solar atmosphere

The source of the non-thermal energy required for the heating of the upper solar atmosphere to temperatures in excess of a million degrees and the acceleration of the solar wind to hundreds of kilometres per second is still unclear. One such mechanism for providing the required energy flux is incompressible torsional Alfvén and kink magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves, which are magnetically dominated waves supported by the Sun's pervasive and complex magnetic field. In particular, propagating MHD kink waves have recently been observed to be ubiquitous throughout the solar atmosphere, but, until now, critical details of the transport of the kink wave energy throughout the Sun's atmosphere were unclear. Here, the ubiquity of the waves is exploited for statistical studies in the highly dynamic solar chromosphere. This large-scale investigation allows for the determination of the chromospheric kink wave velocity power spectra, a missing link necessary for determining the energy transport between the photosphere and corona. Crucially, the power spectra contains evidence for horizontal photospheric motions being the main mechanism for kink wave generation in the quiescent Sun. In addition, a comparison to measured coronal power spectra is provided, revealing frequency-dependent transmission profiles suggesting there is enhanced damping of kink waves in the lower corona.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2013

A statistical study of transverse oscillations in a quiescent prominence

The launch of the Hinode satellite has allowed for seeing-free observations at high-resolution and high-cadence making it well suited to study the dynamics of quiescent prominences. In recent years it has become clear that quiescent prominences support small-amplitude transverse oscillations, however, sample sizes are usually too small for general conclusions to be drawn. We remedy this by providing a statistical study of transverse oscillations in vertical prominence threads. Over a three-hour period of observations it was possible to measure the properties of 3436 waves, finding periods from 50 to 6000 s with typical velocity amplitudes ranging between 0.2 to 23 km s$^{-1}$. The large number of observed waves allows the determination of the frequency dependence of the wave properties and derivation of the velocity power spectrum for the transverse waves. For frequencies less than 7 mHz, the frequency-dependence of the velocity power is consistent with the velocity power spectra generated from observations of the horizontal motions of magnetic elements in the photosphere, suggesting that the prominence transverse waves are driven by photospheric motions. However, at higher frequencies the two distributions significantly diverge, with relatively more power found at higher frequencies in the prominence oscillations. These results highlight that waves over a large frequency range are ubiquitous in prominences, and that a significant amount of the wave energy is found at higher frequency.

astro-ph.SR↗